It’s been thirty years since we televised our first Sunday morning service on Victoria’s local ABC channel. Recently, I watched a show from those early years and had two thoughts. First, God is so faithful. Second, I was so young and a lot skinnier!
If you would have told that 32-year-old all God would do despite his shortcomings in the coming three decades, he might not have believed you. Why? Because like everyone else, there are days doubt tries to get the best of me.
That’s why I love Easter. Every year, the Easter season screams an important message to believers around the world. It’s this: you can count on God. You could count on Him to fulfill His promises over 2,000 years ago, and you can count on Him to do the same today.
Colossians 1:12-14 says that because of what happened on that first Easter, we’ve been transferred from dark to light, death to life, grief to hope, and doubt to faith. Easter is a beautiful reminder that God can fulfill every promise He has given us. And if we’ll learn to live in the faith we’re built for, we will see those promises come to pass.
On that first Easter, we find a perfect picture of doubt transferring to faith. John 8 tells us that after Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to the disciples. He showed them His scars, and it overjoyed them to see Him alive and well.
One disciple was not with them, though. His name was Thomas. When the disciples told Thomas they’d seen Jesus, he didn’t believe them. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
A week later, Jesus appeared to the disciples again. This time, Thomas was with them. He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Once he saw, Thomas believed.
Throughout this chapter, we continually find the words “see” and “saw.” Mary Magdalene saw, Peter saw, John saw, the disciples saw. In each of these instances, the Greek words used mean to physically see, and then to either be aware of or understand.
But the word used for “see” in Thomas’ instance was different. It means that he not only physically saw, but something also happened spiritually. His doubt transferred to faith. He believed.
Friends, how are you seeing Christ this Easter season? Are you simply living aware of Him? Or are you truly believing Him? Do you have faith in His love for you, and in His willingness and ability to keep His promises?
That’s my prayer for you this Easter weekend—that you would choose to see with eyes that not only understand, but also believe. Happy Easter Weekend to you and yours!
